Of the Champion and Flowers
by Seigetsu Ren
Summary: An accident shakes the Miyanaga family. Presented with a chance to mend broken ties, Saki agrees to move to Tokyo where she would compete alongside her estranged sister for Shiraitodai's third consecutive championship. But is Teru ready to behold the changes Saki's mahjong would bring to her team? Follow the new West Tokyo representatives as they journey through the 71st Interhigh
1. Nagano - part 1

AN: I've been a fan of _Saki_ since the release of its first anime series, but haven't written a fanfic for it until now. While there are great fan stories in both the Japanese and Chinese language, the English selection is really small, so I thought I'd add to it despite my shortcomings as both a writer and a player of Japanese mahjong.

This story takes place in a parallel universe shortly after Saki makes the promise with Nodoka to go to the nationals together. As such, this happens before the prefectural tournament. I'm interested in exploring what could've been if Saki made amends with her sister by going to the nationals together as members of Team Torahime, compared to the canon storyline where she is trying to play against Teru's team.

I'm a huge fan of Teru so most of the story would follow her POV. This may make the story sound rather sympathetic to Teru's view compared to canon.

On a last note, I've played the Hong Kong style of mahjong since I was a kid, and have only recently dabbled into Japanese mahjong. I'll try my best not to screw up the mahjong descriptions, but I can't really move away from my original mindset of aiming for toi toi, hon'itsu, chin'itsu, and brainlessly opening up my hand with chi, pon, and daiminkan. I welcome ideas on how to improve setting up the hands in future chapters.

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><p>Disclaimer: I do not own <em>Saki<em> or any of its characters. This is just a work of self-entertainment.

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><p><strong>Of the Champion and Flowers<strong>

Chapter 1

It was not the first time Tsujigaito Satoha had played with Miyanaga Teru. Still, Satoha couldn't help but recall Arakawa Kei's face last year - despite that Satoha herself was not a person of weak character, she mused that only the girl from Sangamaki could keep smiling in a situation like this.

Yes, the situation was a dire one. Satoha exchanged glances with the opponent beside her, Terasaki Yuzuki. Terasaki was not a very strong player, but she was quite experienced, having placed fifteenth in last year's interhigh. Both of them were still ways from the zero line, but the girl across from her, a newbie who had just emerged from this very U-20 Japanese Mahjong Cup tournament, was shuddering with fear as she lost yet another hand to the Champion, Miyanaga.

Both Terasaki and herself knew they had to do something to stop Miyanaga before the girl dropped down to negatives, but neither wanted to be the one to lose points to her - the newbie's hands were always expensive, and they hadn't many points to spare either after Miyanaga's rampage.

Satoha fixed her glasses, moving her glance over to Miyanaga Teru. The Champion's face was cold as usual, bearing no hint of emotion save for, perhaps, a shred of boredom. She had every right to be bored, seeing as her score was already well above fifty thousand points while Satoha, Terasaki, and the new girl's scores all sat below the twenty-five thousand they started with. Even if Satoha and Terasaki managed to stop the Champion from knocking the new girl out in the next hand, it would still take a miracle to steal the first place thereafter.

The clatter of mixing mahjong tiles could be heard while the second set emerged for the play to begin. The Champion continued her renchan, drawing first on the wall followed by Satoha herself. Arranging the tiles in a straight line on the table's side, Satoha's deft fingers then gripped the tiles and flipped them all upwards in a smooth motion. Three of the east wind and one of the west, none useful to her. The rest of the tiles seemed like a random assortment of pin, wan, and sou.

At least the Champion couldn't use the east wind to rack up another han, Satoha thought while drawing in a 3-pin and dumping the west wind. She needed to focus on stopping Miyanaga's hand, ideally by having her play into the new girl's forming chin'itsu of bamboo.

Five turns in, and the new girl made a discard of east wind. Satoha announced a pon, showing two of the three east wind tiles in her hand. Along with the discard, she pushed the three tiles to the side till they hit the table's edge with a satisfactory smack. With this, she stopped Miyanaga's draw which she intuitively felt to be dangerous. There was no way she would declare a kan instead. That would give Miyanaga a chance to increase her points through the new dora.

Force Miyanaga to push herself too hard in her climb up the staircase to heaven - that was Satoha's strategy.

Satoha gave up a 6-pin. With an open pon of east wind, her best bet for a fast hand would be chanta, but out of her expectations, the person beside her spoke.

"Pon," Miyanaga's crystalline, almost digital recording-like voice sounded. Satoha's wide eyes met the three 6-pin tiles Miyanaga lined. What was the Champion thinking opening her hand like this? Judging by the value of her last hand, Satoha would've thought Miyanaga would go for a closed hand this time, making a riichi in hopes of winning points from the ura-dora. Or was she aiming for...

It was too late. Miyanaga made a discard of 3-sou, which the new girl immediately pon'ed to advance her chin'itsu. Satoha could see Terasaki's face twist with frustration even from beneath her baseball cap. She merely sighed to herself - couldn't expect a new girl to recognize her efforts.

The new girl made a discard neither Terasaki nor Satoha could take. Miyanaga successfully drew the tile Satoha thought to be dangerous.

"Kan," Miyanaga said. A kan of 2-wan. Wait...2-wan, the dora?

A new dora indicator was flipped. 5-pin.

A trickle of sweat dripped from Satoha's forehead as she stared at Miyanaga's hand that reached the tile on the dead wall. Then, the strangest thing happened.

Unlike the suffocating presence that Miyanaga had previously given, there was now the essence of a spring breeze filled with the scent of mountain blooms. Miyanaga's face, too, was a mystery, tinged with a contradictory mix of anger and fondness.

"Tsumo," she declared, flipping over the tile she drew, then her entire hand, "rinshan kaihou."

Toi toi, tanyao, seven dora...

Adding the rinshan kaihou, that was a total of eleven han, a dealer sanbaiman worth 12000-all, not counting the renchan bonus.

The tournament ended.

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><p>By the time Miyanaga Teru returned to the waiting room with the championship cup, the skies outside were already dark. Considering it was not a major tournament, the media was still rather relentless.<p>

Hirose Sumire closed the novel in her hands and got up from the sofa, turning to face the newcomer. As with every victory she had taken previously, Teru's face was still stiff as stone while she walked inside, closing the door behind her. Sumire snorted, "And you look so displeased by your victory once again. Was Tsujigaito not enough to satisfy your desire to play with strong opponents?"

"No. I enjoyed the game," she said, walking past Sumire for her school bag. She shovelled through its contents for a minute, which prompted the blue-haired Shiraitodai Mahjong Club President to sigh.

"If you're looking for your novel, it's here. I was reading it while waiting for you."

She should already know that, Sumire thought. Being the top-ranking player of their age, Teru participated in more tournaments than her peers at Shiraitodai. Aside from the annual interhigh and the spring and fall tournaments, she also played in other local events big and small as per instructions from their coach. More than once she told Sumire that she could manage herself, but the club president still came with her to all these events, seeing as the red-haired ace was an air-head in all things not mahjong. And Teru had gotten used to this arrangement - in fact, the novels she kept in her bag during these events were distinctly different from those she usually read. The one in Sumire's hands currently fit quite well with her tastes, being based on an archery tournament. This was a drastic difference from the Spitteler poems Teru was reading last night.

"Found it," Teru answered. So she wasn't looking for the novel - instead, she dug out her mobile phone. It was an old model, a flip phone that wasn't even a touchscreen. Sumire watched Teru press her fingers clumsily on the buttons and then pause upon reading a message she had received.

The expression on her face was exactly the same as the one she wore when drawing that winning tile from the dead wall. For a second, Sumire pondered whether to comment on it.

She sighed again instead, "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing."

And Teru lied to her once more. Sumire knew. This time and the other time two years ago when a chestnut-haired girl who looked a lot like her stood waiting outside the school's gates. When she asked if the girl was someone Teru knew, the red-haired ace just said no.

"Then let's go back. I'll return the keys."

And Sumire wouldn't let Teru know she cared either.

Teru didn't answer, just standing there, reading the message over and over again. Only when Sumire reached over to turn off the lights did she move from her place, turning to face her.

"I'm sorry, I have something to do."

With that, she ran out of the room, past Sumire, not looking back.

Sumire just closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled deeply before closing the door and locking it.

"Be safe," she whispered to the ground. Teru most likely didn't hear it anyway.

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><p>"<em>Saki called. Your father was in a car crash and has been admitted to the Nagano General Hospital. I'm rushing back but won't get there until tomorrow. Please do what you think is best.<em> - Mother"

Teru caught the last train to Nagano. The scenery was just as she remembered it, the city's downtown core considerably quieter in the dark night compared to that of Tokyo. Even for her poor sense of direction, it was not difficult finding the hospital - then again, the building of white-painted exterior had long been burnt into the back of her mind, resonating with images of her past even after its renovation.

The ER's automatic glass doors swooshed open upon her approach as she stepped past the entrance into the bleach-tinged reception. Few people sat in plastic chairs in the waiting area across from the nurses' station where patients were being accessed and triaged. Amongst them was a familiar face, one Teru couldn't help but look away from the moment her eyes met their similarly-coloured counterparts. The brown-haired figure struggled to stand, and when she finally did, stumbled over, features twisted with renewed emotion - renewed pain.

"O...onee...chan..."

For a second, Saki just stood there in front of her, but as everything overwhelmed her senses, Saki lost control and collapsed onto her sister, grasping desperately for any shred of warmth behind the cold, indifferent, beige uniform coat. Teru's first instinct was to push her away. "_I do not have a sister_" she reminded herself, chanting the statement over and over in her mind, but even doing so, she still could not convince herself. She had expected this. Why, then, did she come to Nagano?

"Sit," Teru managed to utter. She kept her head up, eyes away from the shuddering frame still pressed against her own. Even when Saki finally looked up to her, her gaze remained trained faraway.

Teru's hand rose against her will. All she could do was make a stubborn fist as it came to rest on Saki's shoulder. Still, she couldn't let go. "Go, sit down," she tried to say as sternly as she could, but it ended sounding like a plea to her own ears. Without caring whether Saki noticed, she stepped away.

Whenever Saki was involved, this had always been her choice. Run. Teru snorted at herself when she knew she was out of Saki's line of sight. She was just a coward, a disgusting little coward.

She came to the nurses' station to get an update on her father's status. It seemed that the injuries were very serious, and he was immediately wheeled into the surgery room. Thanks to Saki's help, the hospital staff managed to reach their mother through her cellphone and she had taken care of the paperwork of her father's admittance digitally. There wasn't much she could do except for waiting - the surgery was expected to go on for another few hours.

And thus she returned to the waiting area where Saki was seated, staring up upon her return. Those eyes, and Teru's own reflection in them - they hurt whenever she looked into their depths, so she found herself avoiding again, sitting down on the chair next to Saki's just so she could stare off into nothingness instead.

"...Oneechan?"

The timid voice was mixed with the thumping of her heart against its walls, of blood being squirted rhythmically into her arteries. She wanted to scream at Saki to stop calling her, stop calling her _that_. She opened her mouth to protest, to say something along the lines of what she had told everybody who ever bothered asking about her family, but those words couldn't come nearly as easily when the target of her blind hate was her audience. "_I don't deserve to be your sister_," her lips moved in the shape of these different words, but no sound came out. She gritted her teeth, retreating behind her fiery bangs once more.

They sat in silence for a bit longer, with Teru not daring to look at Saki's undoubtedly dejected visage. She removed her uniform coat and rolled it into a makeshift pillow to cushion the back of her head from the wall's hardness. Leaning on it, she craned her neck upwards to stare at the nauseating white fluorescent lights overhead.

The clock kept ticking, patients came and left, doctors and nurses rushed back and forth between the triage area and the hospital's inner halls. The night outside remained dark, contrasting strongly with the blindingly-lit ER. Teru felt her eyelids drop, and soon, her world was engulfed by the red of her own flesh.

_Red like fire._

_She smelled nothing, but she knew there was smoke. She heard nothing, but she knew there were screams. She should've fallen by now, but she continued wobbling forward, defying gravity. Her hand reached out for a doorknob laced crimson with heat. It should've hurt, should've charred her skin, but there was no pain when the door opened._

_There was a wheelchair inside, empty, for the figure that used to sit on it was gone - just ashes dusting metal swallowed by hungry flames._

"Haa...haa...haa..." Teru woke up, panting. There was no fire, no screaming patients, no nothing. Just a dream. Nothing more. The ER was as quiet as it had been before she had dozed off.

There was now an extra weight on her side. She hesitated, but turned slightly, so slightly that Saki's image only edged into her periphery. The girl was curled around Teru's left arm, head resting just below her shoulder.

The mountains, the rustling leaves, soft grass under their feet...and flowers - white, tender petals dancing in the air...This was the feeling that overflowed when she drew the winning tile, except now, Saki was by her side, for real.

More than once, she wondered how things would've been different if tragedy hadn't struck their family. Even if their parents' divorce was inevitable, it wouldn't have ended like this.

It didn't have to end like this.

No, it did. Because the Miyanaga Teru of three million parallel universes would all be the same subhuman existence that talked of high ideals with picturistic poetry only to be too scared to face herself. She decided that she quite liked how everything turned out: become the enemy of ten thousand high school students across the nation trying to close their gaps by a mere inch, only to have even such small hopes dashed into utter despair by the force of her whirlwind. And soon no one would even remember her name. The Champion. That was enough.

But the soft smile of Saki's tear-streaked face pressed against her cream-coloured sweater, the girl's frail body clothed so lightly by the thin white shirt and blue sailor collar of the Kiyosumi school...she needed her; Saki needed her sister back, now.

Teru sighed, grabbing her uniform coat with her right hand to swing it over Saki's shoulders. Nothing would change, but at least she could perhaps make Saki feel slightly more comfortable as she slept. She laughed lightly - really, she might just be doing this to make herself feel better. Who cares. Miyanaga Teru was a selfish person. It was no news.

The operation room light extinguished down the hall. The doors swung open, and the lead surgeon in his gown of green called out for the relatives of Miyanaga Kai. Teru repositioned Saki against the wall and got up to meet him.

"We have managed to control the internal bleeding, but more surgeries would need to be done once the patient is in a stable condition. With regards to the patient's spouse's request for transferral to the West Tokyo General..."

"Transfer?" Teru couldn't help but utter. When the surgeon quirked an eyebrow, she shook her head apologetically. Of course her mother would request for a transfer. Despite their poor relations, it wasn't as though her mother would leave her father as he was, even if she were caring for him just so the burden wouldn't fall completely upon Saki. But there was no way she could frequent Nagano given her busy work schedule - her only days spent in Japan were those spent reporting to the head office in Tokyo.

"With regards to the transfer, the nurses have contacted the West Tokyo General and it would occur once the patient has stabilized. As the West Tokyo General is better equipped for handling the future surgeries, they have agreed to undertake them after the transfer. For the time being, the patient would be kept in a drug-induced coma."

"Thank you. Can we visit him?"

"He is still in critical condition and will be housed in isolation within the ICU. We do not recommend visits at the current moment, as there is a high risk of infection, but you may go and see him from outside his room if you really wish to."

"If it's a hassle, we will refrain. Thank you once again."

She bowed as the surgeon nodded and left. When Teru returned to the waiting area, Saki had woken, rubbing her eyes in a confused manner.

"What happened?" Saki asked.

Upon her silence, Saki's face immediately turned a shade paler, her eyes staring towards the ground. But this response didn't bring Teru the joy of satisfaction - it just made every muscle in her body stiffen with guilt. Even if their relationship could no longer be mended, they still shared a father, that much could not be changed no matter how much Teru tried to warp the truth. Saki deserved to know what happened to the parent she lived together with throughout all the years she neglected her - she deserved the hope that he would be returned to her and they could continue living in what little happiness they now shared.

"The surgery was successful. He's fine for now," she stated in a monotone, then took off in the other direction. She didn't want the conversation to continue. She couldn't continue it.

"Oneechan!" Saki pleaded after her, catching up and grasping onto her wrist. She was about to pull away, but a drop of liquid fell on her skin.

Saki was crying again. Of course she would be crying. Who could hold back, knowing that she might be alone, really alone, from now on?

"I'm getting something to eat. You stay here. Mother might come soon."

Saki bit her lip and the tears stopped falling. Though still clearly distressed, a bit of relief returned to her eyes. She nodded a little, loosening her grip.

Teru made it to the vending machine, inserted coins, and pressed the buttons - all done subconsciously. By the time she noticed, there were already two melon breads and orange sodas in her hands. She hated both.

But they were Saki's favorites when they were young, so she would always ask her mother to buy them. She was probably the only one who knew how much she hated the sickly artificial taste of that carbonated liquid as it made its way down her throat.

Some habits were hard to change. Teru turned her attention away from the miss to stare at the clock on the wall instead. It was almost five. Soon, dawn would break to signal the coming of a new day.

When she returned, she handed a bread and a soda to Saki and they sat down to eat. Saki took a long glance at the bread and looked about to cry again, but managed to hold it in a smile this time. She slowly picked apart the wrapper and took a small bite into the bread like it was some sort of prized delicacy, then closed her eyes and grinned so wide it looked about to fill her face.

"It's delicious."

Teru remained silent, but Saki continued without looking at her. There was no need.

"Thank you, Oneechan."

They finished the meal in silence and sat there for a little longer, watching the skies outside first turn violet then red, orange, and golden from bottom upwards. The ripe sun finally appeared in an expanse of grey-blue, long shadows cast from the east to the west.

It was about the time Teru woke up usually, but being awake most of last night, she was feeling exhausted. Still, the adrenaline kept her going as she dug through her belongings for the cell phone in her bag. Flipping it open, she read that it still had a bar of battery life left. Good enough. She secretly thanked Sumire for nagging at her to charge her phone every night.

Opening up her miserably short contacts list, she selected Hirose Sumire from the third line, below "Mother" and "AwaAwa". Not that she really cared, but Teru did sometimes consider changing Awai's contact name just to remind herself she was sane.

The thought made her smile inwardly while Sumire's number was dialled. How could a person like her make friends with people like them? She really didn't know. She must've won some sort of interpersonal lottery without knowing it.

"What's the matter, Teru?" Sumire's voice sounded through the phone, succinct as usual. It was hard to describe their relationship. The Shiraitodai Mahjong Club President was probably the person who understood her best on this Earth, but also because of this understanding, their conversations were always short and coldly efficient.

On the other hand, did she understand Sumire? Probably not. She never tried.

If she were to truly summarize their relationship, it would be parasitism, in which she relied on Sumire for solving all her troubles while giving nothing but a hard wall between them in return.

"I won't make it to school today," she said into the receiver, then when met with silence, added, "Personal business."

"I see," Sumire didn't ask for details. "Personal business" was a good enough reason to tell their homeroom for taking a day off. That was all that mattered.

"I won't make it to club practice either," Teru continued. She imagined Sumire nodding tiredly in a display of slight annoyance, as though saying "_I'm not stupid_". Then again, who knew. Maybe Sumire was too tired in the morning to do such a meaningless thing on the other end of the line.

"Alright. If there isn't anything else, I'm hanging up."

"Un. Sorry for bothering."

"It's okay. Take care."

Their connection died in a series of beeps.

As soon as she put down her phone, she realized that Saki was staring at her. The gaze, a bit doubtful but even more hopeful, laced with burning desperation, was piercing into her heart, and Teru struggled for a way, any way, to cut it off.

"What's your school's number?" she asked, hoping to break Saki's attention.

"Huh?" the brown-haired girl sat a bit straighter in surprise. She must not have expected her estranged sister to actually talk to her.

"I said, 'what's your school's number?' Or a classmate's. You're not planning on going to school today, are you?"

She handed Saki her phone and turned away. Seeming to accept this new form of communication between her sibling and herself, Saki concentrated on inputting Haramura Nodoka's number on the keypad and pressing the phone against her ear when it dialled.

"Haramura Nodoka speaking. May I ask who is calling?"

"Haramura-san, this is Saki. Sorry for bothering you so early in the morning."

"It is fine. I'm already awake. Is something the matter, Miyanaga-san?"

"I won't be at school today. Something happened with my family, so..."

Perhaps Nodoka caught wind of Saki's worries in her quivering tone, but she quickly filled in, "Are you okay, Miyanaga-san? Are you home? I'll ask Buchou and the others to come with me to visit you..."

"No, it's okay, Haramura-san..." Saki paused to stare at the red-haired figure by her side. Teru only left her back to face her, but it was already more than she had ever hoped for, "I'm with my sister now, so it's okay."

The line was silent for a moment until Nodoka finally spoke, "...that's good then. Will you make it to tomorrow's practice?"

"Probably not. I'm sorry, Haramura-san."

"Please don't be. Your family matters take priority."

"Thank you. Haramura-san must need to prepare for school soon - I won't keep bothering you anymore."

"Miyanaga-san is not a bother. I'll call another time. Take care."

"See you."

Saki struggled to find the end-call button on the phone when Teru promptly snatched it away and cut off the line. The elder sibling rose to face the entrance of the ER where their mother had finally appeared, breathing heavily while stumbling through the opened doors in their direction. Her face was pale and strewn with sweat, her hand a little shaky when it landed on Teru's shoulder for support.

"How's your father?" she asked Teru, still trying to catch her breath after running over from where her taxi had dropped her off when it got stuck in the morning traffic. Teru led her to sit before she began.

"The initial surgeries were successful, but he is still critical."

"I guess that's the best news we can have at this point?"

Teru nodded to what her mother said.

Her mother then turned to face her younger daughter, who had remained silent thus far. Saki looked really tired, but her face was lit with a degree of optimism. Mrs. Miyanaga rested her hands atop of Saki's and stared into her eyes.

"It must've been difficult for you, Saki, but you worked hard. Now let Mother take over, alright?"

Saki nodded a little, relishing in the warmth of her mother that she had longed for over the years. Despite the circumstances of their reunion, she was still glad to have this small comfort returned to her. Knowing this, Mrs. Miyanaga also nodded understandingly before getting up to leave.

"You two must be tired. I'll take care of any remaining business here. You two can go home first." She then whispered in Teru's ear, "...and thank you for deciding to come. It makes me very happy."

With that, their mother headed for the counter. Teru walked out of the hospital with Saki trailing after her in a hurried half-run. Saki tucked at the edge of her sweater and Teru turned slightly just so Saki knew she was listening. From the corner of her eyes, Teru noticed that Saki was now wearing her uniform coat.

It made her ache all over for what could've been.

"Oneechan, are we going home?"

Teru couldn't answer, so she didn't. She turned away and continued walking ahead. Saki followed, their pace in synchronization with Saki keeping the half-step distance behind her.

They waited for the bus to come, got on, and rode it across town to the rural outskirts where their home lay. A short walk took them to the familiar house of two storeys perched on a rocky slope dotted with unruly shrubs atop a bend on the main road. Teru took a moment to stare at the structure, then fished out the key that had remained unused for the past few years.

She was almost surprised the key slipped easily into its slot and the lock turned with one smooth motion of her wrist. The door slid open with her weight, the sound of its aged creak the same as how it had always been. Inside, the furnishings were also kept in the same place, in the same conditions, as though frozen in time. The void of her absence was so subtle she had to fight to see it - even her favourite brand of crackers was still kept where it was on the rack in the kitchen, only that the packaging had since changed and a different expiry date was printed on its sleek surface.

If she said, "_I'm back_" now, would Saki answer her?"

"Welcome home, Oneechan," came the timid voice behind her. She paused on her way to the stairs, losing against the urge to turn around. Saki brought the door forward to close it, a smile lighting her countenance.

She didn't know if her expression changed, but she quickly turned back to face the staircase and ascended it.

The wooden floorboards were cool under her feet, the walls still white with barely any tinges of yellow. On the left was Saki's room, on the far right the storage room. For a second, Teru stood in front of the sliding doors and wondered whether she should step in to see it - it being their mahjong table, the one on which she played her first game, the tiles her fingers had first touched, blue backs a little faded and scratched from wear. She let her fingers trace the door but didn't stop them from slipping down to her thighs' level once more. She had moved past this. She was not coming back.

Instead, she moved down the hall. The first room to the left was hers, which was directly beside Saki's; the one on the far end had belonged to her parents.

Inside, nothing had changed. The bed in the back was still neatly made, covers a baby blue that matched the curtains on the window on the right end. The towering bookcase on the left was still there with its shelves filled with books she hadn't taken to Tokyo. The desk on its side was likewise occupied by yet more books stacked on the dark, wooden top. On the other side was the closet, now empty save for clothes that no longer fit her height.

Where there should be dust and cobwebs, there was none. Where there should be miscellaneous junk that didn't belong to her, there was none either. The room was kept in the same condition as she had left it, not because of disuse, but because someone had intentionally kept it that way.

She closed the door, locked it, and fell face-first into her bed. The absence of her own scent in the fabric drained her empty, in its place the faint lemony flavour of laundry detergent. It stung her eyes, making them water.

A knock came from the door. "Oneechan, it's me."

She made no response, just listening to the footsteps and rustles of her sister's movement. Something was placed on the ground with a soft thud.

"Umm...Oneechan...the bath is ready, would you like to go first?"

Yet no response.

"Here is a towel and a spare change of clothes. I'm washing Oneechan's uniform coat now. If you want the rest of your uniform washed, just leave them in the basket in the washroom."

Still no response.

"All the clothes are new. They're not mine. So...don't worry..."

Teru bit her lip, "Go..." then choked on the second word. She left the sentence unfinished by snuffing it out in her pillow.


	2. Nagano - part 2

AN: Big thanks to the kind comments from reviewers Heyheyhey, mantraton, kitare, EXpertUS, Capri-Saaan, lockonstrats, Aoyukihime, Aira0906, and Taiora3390. About the Miyanaga family's past, there are only hints in the manga as to what happened, so I'm building a story around those hints - I'm rather prepared for Kobayashi's slap-in-face regarding this mystery and all the other plot details I've included in this fic. Hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless. Anyway, here is the second part of the first story arc. Once again, reviews on your impressions and constructive criticism are highly appreciated.

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><p><strong>Of the Champion and Flowers<strong>

Chapter 2

It was long after Saki's steps had disappeared downstairs when Teru stood up and exited the room. As she had said, Saki had left a bundle of clothes on the doorway. Teru picked it up and went to the bath.

The hot shower felt good as it washed everything away, from the stickiness on her face to the sweat covering her body. The steam filled the chamber, fogging up the mirror so she didn't have to face her own image. She lowered herself into the bath and let it soak every muscle.

They used to bathe together, didn't they? Crowding into the far-too-small tub so the water would overflow whenever Saki thrashed about upon Teru tickling her. After making an utter mess of the washroom, they would be scolded and left with no snacks for the rest of the week.

Teru rose with a swish of water. Drops kept plopping down from her drenched, scarlet locks. Despite the steam, the evaporation off her skin left it uneven with goosebumps.

Enough. She had to get out before the water got cold.

She went downstairs in the new change of clothes with a towel across her shoulders to keep her hair from soaking her back. Luckily, Saki was sitting there with a magazine on her lap. She quickly put it down on the table and went upstairs.

"I'll use the bath then," Saki said, vanishing around the corner. Teru picked up a package of crackers from the kitchen, prepared a kettle of tea, then went back to the living room.

There was an unnamed VCR tape beside where Saki had put down the magazine. It was so much like her father to keep using old things till they broke despite what he always said about wanting to throw things away. She picked up the tape and put it into the machine.

A face she had seen just yesterday appeared on the screen. Tsujigaito Satoha. The footage panned from her onto Arakawa Kei, then...

Without waiting to see the rest, Teru switched it off, returning silence to the living room.

She took a sip of tea and ate a couple of crackers. Not even the sound of food crunching in her mouth could drown out the lonely ticks of the clock. She washed down any residue past her throat with the rest of the tea and just leaned back with eyes closed.

This time, she was not bothered by her dreams.

* * *

><p>Teru awoke with a start. The skies outside were ablaze with the crimson light of sunset, staining the blue blanket over her into a violet hue. Saki also sat up from the adjacent sofa, rubbing her eyes while she tried to discern what exactly was going on.<p>

Teru's phone was ringing.

She picked it up and snapped it open to read "AwaAwa" off the screen. Sighing, she pressed it against her ear.

"Awai?"

"Teruuuuuuuuuuuu! Where are youuuuuuu? Sumire-senpai won't tell me what happened to youuuuuuuuu..."

Teru contemplated whether to tell Awai to tone down her blaring voice, but decided to just hold the receiver a little ways from her ear instead, "I told Sumire I have personal business to take care of. That's all."

"Are you home then?"

"...yes."

"Can I come visit?"

"No."

She regretted telling Awai the truth. The way Sumire kept her face straight even when Teru told a blatant lie made it easier for her to keep things to herself, but Awai was different. She imagined Awai's clear eyes the colour of a summer pond, opened wide with anticipation for every word that came out her mouth - she just couldn't lie to her.

But she didn't want to tell Awai that she was home, not in Tokyo, but in Nagano. She was really home now.

"That's...too bad," Awai answered on the other end. Teru was glad she didn't press any further, but for Awai to hold off, the blonde must've detected something distinctly off about her today.

"I'm sorry," she ended up saying.

"No, no, it's okay. When will Teru come back to school?"

"Maybe next week."

"Is that so?"

Teru nodded. Even though there was no way Awai could see it, she seemed to understand anyway.

"Let's play mahjong again when you come back, Teru."

"Un. Let's play together."

Teru put down the phone. There was a longing look from Saki as she overheard what Teru said. She ignored it though.

"There is still tea in the kettle," Teru said, then turned around, went back upstairs, and locked herself in her room once more.

She told herself the tea was just a favour in return for the blanket Saki had brought for her.

* * *

><p>When their mother returned, they took care of dinner with cup ramen. After Teru retreated back to her room, her mother came looking for her.<p>

"May I sit down?" her mother asked and lowered herself onto the bed when Teru nodded.

"How's father?"

"His condition has improved. They say it's likely they can transfer him to West Tokyo by the end of the week."

"That's good."

There was an uneasy silence between mother and daughter as both were deep in thought. Teru knew her mother wanted to say something she undoubtedly didn't want to listen, so the elder Miyanaga was trying to pick out the best words to say it. In the end, Mrs. Miyanaga just sighed, knowing there was just one way to put it.

"About Saki..." she started.

Teru remained silent, but didn't extricate her gaze. Knowing this meant she was still listening, her mother continued on.

"I'm thinking of bringing her back with us to Tokyo.

I...I know it is selfish of me to say this, but I feel...I hate myself for turning away from her all these years. I wasn't there for her as she grew up. I wasn't there for her when she needed me.

I'm a failure as a mother.

I tore apart this family. I tore apart..."

"Mother," here Teru finally interrupted forcefully. She knew what her mother was going to say, so she cut her off with her answer, "this is a problem between her and me. It's not your fault."

This was the first time Teru had mentioned Saki to anyone over these years. Even in front of her mother, she had always backed away from the subject.

But maybe it was time she faced the truth she had run away from. If there were blame to be placed for wrecking the family...

...it should be placed on her.

Her mother smiled at little and held her hand, "Anyway, if Saki agrees, we'll have to find her a school in the area. I was thinking of getting her to try Shiraitodai, but it would probably be easier if she has a recommendation. If I recall, the Mahjong Club President is your friend - Hirose-san, is it? May I talk to her?"

Teru nodded and handed her mother her phone, "Her number is on the contacts list."

* * *

><p>Their father was removed from isolation the next day. After their visit, Mrs. Miyanaga remained at the hospital to sort out the paperwork of their father's transfer later in the week. The siblings returned home for lunch.<p>

Saki was watching Teru wash dishes in the kitchen. The elder sister had silently collected them and started working away at the sink with a clear warning aura. Saki relunctantly returned to the living room.

Saki recalled the events of last night. Her mother had asked to speak with her alone and then proceeded to ask if she wished to live with them in Tokyo.

She had been unsure, but her mother said something to help her make up her mind.

_"I spoke with the Shiraitodai Mahjong Club President, Hirose-san. She said she could help arrange a tryout if you wish to transfer into their school with a recommendation._

_I don't know if you've kept up on the news of high school mahjong, but Hirose-san has been your sister's teammate for the past three years._

_Teru was the one who gave me her number when I asked, you know?"_

Did her sister actually want her to come to Tokyo?

Did her sister want to play mahjong with her once again?

_If it's through mahjong, then maybe..._

_...maybe I'll be able to communicate these feelings to her._

"I want to..." Saki muttered to herself, "I want to go to the nationals together with Oneechan."

_I want to win with Oneechan._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of the doorbell. Before she could respond, the water from the tap was turned off and Teru's footsteps could be heard ringing down the hall. Shortly after, the front door opened.

"Hey, Saki. The school had a power outage so we were let out early and decided to come...ara?" Takei Hisa's ramblings were cut short when she noticed the person on the other side of the door wasn't who she expected her to be. It took her a split second to recognize who she was talking to, the living confirmation of a suspicion she held since first watching Saki play, "Isn't it Shiraitodai's Miyanaga-san?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Someya Mako muttered under her breath, pointing at the nameplate on the side of the door. Kataoka Yuuki was completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere - still concentrated on pulling Suga Kyoutarou's cheeks after noticing how there weren't enough tacos left for Saki anymore. Haramura Nodoka tried to shush her before continuing.

"Very sorry to intrude. My name is Haramura Nodoka. This is our Mahjong Club President, Takei Hisa, and our fellow club members, Someya Mako, Kataoka Yuuki, and Suga Kyoutarou. We came to see Miyanaga-san..." only upon realizing how unclear her statement was, Nodoka tried again with a full blush on her face, "...I mean...Miyanaga...Sa...Saki-san. We heard that she is experiencing some difficulty..."

Teru didn't let her finish and just stepped aside, leaving the door wide for them to come inside. Hisa took the hint and gave Nodoka a soft push forward, followed by the others. "Sorry to intrude," she called out, and Yuuki joined in chorus, still dragging Kyoutarou by his face.

Kyoutarou took a long look at Teru's face on his way in. There really was a strong resemblance with his childhood friend, from the tuft of hair that stubbornly stuck out to the side, to the crimson colour of her eyes. So this was the person his friend had always followed after, the person whose departure left a hole from which Saki never recovered?

"Come on, get inside, Kyoutarou!" Yuuki pulled him in so Teru could close the door. Without saying anything else, Teru just returned to the kitchen to finish the dishes.

"Buchou! Haramura-san too!" Saki called in surprise upon their arrival at the living room. Yuuki had already plopped down on the sofa, with Nodoka trying to pull her back up to standing, scolding her for being rude.

"We heard from Nodoka about your father. It was on the news too," Hisa said, handing Saki a fruit basket, "We were going to pay a visit to the hospital, but that might be too awkward, so we thought we might as well drop this off after school. Thanks to the power outage, we're here early."

Nodoka sighed at how their club president always forgot the most important detail, and added, "This is for your father's quick recovery. We hope he'll get well soon."

"Thank you for your kind thoughts," Saki answered with a bow, taking over the fruit basket to put it aside, "And please sit, Yuuki-chan. Of course, everybody else too! I'll go make tea."

Saki entered the kitchen and panicked a little when she found Teru still working inside. The elder sister ignored the younger's presence to finish wiping dry the last bowl, setting it into the cabinet, and then leaving the viccinity. Saki's gaze followed after her, not knowing whether she should feel relieved or lonely from the cold treatment, but this thought was quickly interrupted by the call of a kettle on the stove. She frantically turned off the heat, only noticing then that six empty cups were already placed on a tray on the side, each with a teabag within.

_"Teru was the one who gave me her number when I asked, you know?"_

Her mother's voice rang in her mind. Saki smiled, determination anew. She couldn't make her father worry. She would make amends with her sister soon, and by the time her father awoke, their family would be together again.

"Let's work hard today too!" Saki muttered to herself. She poured the hot water into the cups and took them outside.

"Seems like you're doing fine, Saki," Hisa called out to her upon her return to the living room, "Is your father's condition improving quickly?"

"Yes," she answered, setting down the cups with a bright smile on her face, "They say he'll be ready for transferral to the West Tokyo General by the end of the week!"

Nodoka was about to say "congratulations" when the words broke down in her mouth, leaving a slight squeak that she tried her best to conceal. Everyone else didn't say anything about it, but that only exacerbated the situation, making Nodoka fully aware that everyone caught her miss. She coughed a little as though clearing her throat, then in her most steady voice, tried to continue, "It is good that your family in Tokyo will be able to take care of him. So...will you be able to return to school soon?"

As clueless as Saki always was in terms of reading others' feelings, she knew what Nodoka was thinking. Just before the accident, they had made a promise to go to the nationals together. They had decided to support each other, fight alongside each other, and now...

Saki held onto her pinkie, the warmth of that sunset on the pier still seemingly searing her skin.

She lowered her head, "I'll be moving to Tokyo too."

She couldn't look Nodoka in the eyes, therefore she didn't know what expression Nodoka was wearing. The room also fell to silence, everyone wondering what exactly they should say in this situation. Mako made the uneasy move, "Well...I actually have to be back at our family's mahjong cafe soon. Maybe we should play a few farewell hands there?"

"That is such a good idea coming from the heart of a balding old man, Mako! Let's do it!" Hisa added.

"I'm not an old man!"

"Go buy us some tacos, Kyoutarou! I'm gonna make Saki remember my prowess even from the other side of the world!" Yuuki shoved the only male member of Kiyosumi's Mahjong Club out the door despite his complaints. Saki smiled weakly.

"Tokyo is just a train ride away. It's not that far from here..." Saki then turned to peek at Nodoka, "Umm...Haramura-san, would you like to play too?"

Nodoka's countenance remained unreadable. "Yes," she simply replied.

* * *

><p>Nodoka was losing.<p>

It wasn't simply not being comfortable with playing at a mahjong cafe, it wasn't because she couldn't read people's hands clearly when real, live tiles were involved...

She was distracted.

While Nodoka usually only paid attention to discards and her own hand, her eyes were completely drawn by Saki, who sat across from her at the moment.

Saki was sitting in the west position on this hand. Upon making a draw, Saki glanced up to Nodoka, pouted with teary eyes, then slipped the tile quietly onto the discards.

"Pon," Nodoka called, taking the west wind tile from Saki to join her pair. She glared up at Saki, an anger she knew to be unreasonable flaring in her eyes. Why did she open her hand with a set of useless wind tiles? It wasn't like her at all. This was not logical.

Nodoka then stared at the rest of her tiles. Aside from a triplet of 4-sou, there were no waiting pairs for her to bet on the chances of a toi toi, nor the prevailing or seat wind or sangen tiles to depend on for yakuhai. They were already ten turns in. Yuuki had declared riichi seven turns ago.

Saki had declared a kan of 4-pin, and a pon of 1-pin early in the game. With just a single 1-pin left, and likely integrated into someone's hand due to it being a dora, Nodoka's reasoning dictated that she discard either the 2 or 3-pin in her hand to reach iishanten for a hon'itsu with her remaining souzu tiles, but instead, she picked out a 9-sou and discarded it.

In the next turn, the red dragon fell into her hand. She dumped out another souzu and watched the turn end and her next draw come. It was another red dragon.

A fleeting thought came to her that perhaps mahjong tiles did resonate with her desires afterall. She looked up at Saki, who upon meeting her gaze, immediately looked away at her own tiles instead. No. This could not be. This was not scientific. Even if the occurrence of a character like Miyanaga Saki was not scientific, Nodoka herself was as common as anyone. She won at this game because she tried hard. That was all.

But for the first time, Nodoka made a wish. If there really were a God of Mahjong, then let Him show her that luck would only come to someone who fought for it!

"Yikes...is this good luck or bad luck?" Mako muttered to herself, scratching her head. She had drawn in an effective tile and had reached tenpai, but why hadn't it come any sooner?

"It's written all over your face already, Mako. Why bother concealing it?" the watching Hisa asked from her side. Mako glared at her.

"Did anyone tell you that your mahjong table manners are horrible, Buchou?" Mako snapped, but sighed when she picked out a red dragon from her hand and slid it into the discards sideways. Her other hand reached for the 1000-point stick, "Riichi."

"Pon," Nodoka called, lining the red dragons beside her open triplet of west wind. She, too, was now at tenpai with a cheap yakuhai hand for the unlikely 1-pin.

Nodoka dumped out a 4-sou. Yuuki drew and discarded robotically, cursing the shortage of tacos for not being able to accomplish a menzen-tsumo after so many rounds at tenpai. It was Saki's turn to draw next, and she paused upon feeling the tile in her hand.

Saki bit her lip and set down the 1-pin.

Nodoka didn't call out a ron, she just flipped her tiles over and asked, "Why?"

"...because...it is not wise to call a kan with two other players at riichi."

"Really?" Nodoka asked. Despite Hisa trying to stop her, she reached over and flipped Saki's tiles, then took the rinshan tile and added it to the hand. "Rinshan kaihou, isn't that Miyanaga-san's favourite yaku?"

"I thought Haramura-san..."

"Won't believe in such superstitions? Yes. I don't. But Miyanaga-san has always acted as though these supersitions are true, and while I only believe in science, even I must admit the chance of Miyanaga-san achieving rinshan kaihou far exceeds that of a regular person. Why then did you not announce a kan?"

"Nodoka..." Hisa tried to pull her back, but to no avail. Nodoka was almost crying now.

"Why can't you just tell me the truth, Miyanaga-san!?"

Saki knew Nodoka wasn't just asking about this. She was also asking about her decision to go to Tokyo. She had told Nodoka about her sister, about her wish to go to the nationals so they could make amends, so it wasn't as though Nodoka didn't understand her intent.

She was just asking if this was really worth it. After seeing Teru, Nodoka must've realized that the Miyanaga siblings' rift was even larger than she had expected.

In this case, was making amends worth breaking the Kiyosumi team and Buchou's dream of winning the team nationals? Was the miniscule chance that was far slimmer than consecutive yakuman worth the bet of their promise to go to Tokyo together?

"Haramura-san didn't feel like yourself today. On the last hand, you felt like Oneechan...

...I knew you would steal my kan if I made a chakan," Saki admitted.

"And yet you still discarded the 1-pin? Are you mocking me?"

"No!" Saki cut her off. This wasn't it. It wasn't because Saki didn't take their promise seriously, it was because..."I just wanted it to end! I didn't want to play with a Haramura-san who was imitating the play of another person!"

Imitating the play of another person...

Nodoka's mind flashed to the play records she had read over the past days when Saki was away from school...Miyanaga Teru's records.

The seemingly incomprehensible records hinted at an ability to read through the opponent's mind and construct hands based on how to avoid discarding winning tiles while receiving others' discards. Wasn't Nodoka trying to do the same, knowing Saki would chakan to win from a rinshan kaihou?

"I'm sorry...I didn't meet your expectations for a good game.

I should've considered Miyanaga-san's feelings, even if they are outside of my understanding..."

Nodoka ran out of the cafe with Saki about to chase after her, but Hisa stopped her and brought her back in.

"You can't be thinking that you can escape a farewell game with me, are ya?" Hisa asked with a smirk, then bent down to whisper in Saki's ear, "Give Nodoka some time. Be like me and accept a bad wait once in a while - the outcome may be better than you expect!"

* * *

><p>Nodoka paused at the divergence on her path home. There should be no doubt - the road on the right led to the Haramura Residence. Still, her feet took the one on the left.<p>

She walked past bend after bend until the divergence was no longer in sight. She kept moving forward, up the hill to the familiar slope she had departed from earlier that day.

The skies were starting to darken. The small house had a single window lit on the upper floor. That person was home.

Nodoka rang the doorbell, wondering if it would be answered. Shortly after, steps sounded from the other side and the door opened.

"She's not home," came the voice from the girl who had opened the door for her - Miyanaga Teru.

"I'm not looking for her," Nodoka answered with a rare bluntness to her voice, "I want to speak with you, Miyanaga-san."

"I don't think we have anything in common to talk about, Haramura-san. If you would now excuse me," Teru said, but when she was about to close the door, it was stopped by Nodoka's hand.

"Saki..." Nodoka muttered under her breath, then felt a rush of confidence in her chest. She straightened her form, looking straight into the eyes of the Interhigh Champion, "Saki-san is my friend."

Teru kept looking straight at Nodoka, but the younger girl could feel the intensity of that crimson gaze dwindle as its focus faded into the distance behind her. Teru replied, "If Haramura-san would like my congratulations, I happily offer them to you. However, this remains none of my business."

Nodoka's emotions were getting the best of her good manners. She just outright lost it, "I know it is not in my place to say this, but she is your sister. That, alone, makes it your business."

What exactly was she saying!? Nodoka almost couldn't believe it herself. Why did she come anyway? Even if Miyanaga Teru accepted her proposal and sat down and talked with her, what would come of it? She couldn't have been intending to ask Teru to go home alone and leave Saki here, seeing as she clearly didn't even want her little sister anyway!

"It is..." Nodoka mumbled, half to herself, "It is unfair losing to you...you who doesn't even cherish the mahjong games with her."

If Teru heard what she said, she didn't make a mention of it. She just turned around and made her way back into the house with the door still open, "Come."

Nodoka hesitated, but decided to follow anyway, bringing the door forward with her after entering. She traced Teru's steps up the staircase to the storage room on the right. When the light flickered, she could see the outlines of a mahjong table under a grey cloth.

"We'll play a game," Teru announced. Nodoka widened her eyes.

"Just the two of us?"

"Just the two of us."

Teru's hand reached for where the tiles were, still underneath the cloth. With a clatter, she pushed them off the corner and scattered them randomly on the table.

"I pick thirteen tiles," Teru explained, "You will pick one. If your tile completes my hand, I win, and you leave. If not, I lose, and I'll answer anything you ask."

This was ridiculous. Without seeing which tiles were which, what were the chances of even picking thirteen tiles that would assemble a ready hand? Even if Miyanaga Teru somehow managed to cheat, what then were the chances that Nodoka herself would pick a winning tile from the remainder?

What was the Champion trying to prove?

"I accept," Nodoka answered. Teru nodded, uncovering the table with a swoosh of the cloth. Still, she kept her back to the table, her hand reaching behind to seemingly pick out thirteen random tiles. No matter how carefully Nodoka surveyed Teru's movements, she couldn't find a single indication that she was cheating.

But surely, unbelievably, the hand was assembled in front of her, one tile at a time.

1p, 9p, 1s, 9s, 1w, 9w, haku, hatsu, chun, east, south, north, north

Kokushi musou with a wait on the west wind.

Nodoka's hand trembled when she reached out for the tile she had been staring at on the table. _This couldn't be_ - she pondered, almost wanting to change the tile she would draw. But a sense of inevitability changed her mind. She still decided to take the miserable tile with the broken corner and flipped it upwards.

West wind.

And Nodoka understood. She chose the west wind tile because of its imperfection. If Nodoka had a weakness, it was trying too hard to mend all things to become perfect in her eyes.

Could she really blame Saki for wanting the same with her broken family?

"I lose," Nodoka admitted. "Please excuse me."

What Nodoka didn't expect was that Teru followed her down the stairs. To lock the door? Maybe that was it.

"Haramura-san didn't lose," Teru said when Nodoka opened the door. The pink-haired girl turned around, and the high school Champion continued, "We were just playing with a set of illogical rules, that's all."

The mahjong table was Miyanaga Teru's territory. This mahjong table, with its vivid memories of sweat and tears, was her absolute territory.

But while Nodoka accepted this defeat, she wouldn't accept another in the future.

"I will show you how my logical play can bring me victory too, Miyanaga-san," Nodoka declared.

Even if the Kiyosumi team was no longer complete, they could still compete in the individuals. She could still show Miyanaga Teru how she played.

"I'll look forward to it."

"And..." Nodoka muttered from outside the door. Her next words formed an unreasonable request, but from the corner of her eyes, Miyanaga Teru actually nodded.

She smiled and left.

* * *

><p>Saki returned soon after with a handful of gifts from Mako. When Mrs. Miyanaga came home, she told her mother that she had enjoyed the last games she played with the Kiyosumi club members.<p>

"They said that they would see me at the national individuals," Saki said. Mrs. Miyanaga smiled and rubbed her younger daughter's head. How nice. For all their temper tandrums as parents, they had somehow managed to raise such strong daughters.

"I'll look forward to watching you play too, Saki," she answered.

After dinner, their mother announced that their father's transferral had been set for Saturday. Mrs. Miyanaga had extended her leave to take care of this. As for Saki's transfer into Shiraitodai, she said that Hirose Sumire had notified her that Saki's tryout was scheduled two days from now.

It then made sense for the daughters to return to West Tokyo first. Being a third-year student, it was worrying that Teru was missing so many school days anyway.

So, on the next day after breakfast, the siblings made their way to the station, keeping silent the entire way. For once, Saki's attention wasn't solely on her sister. She stared out the train window at the Nagano landscape vanishing swiftly behind her.

A voice made her turn.

"Haramura-san said she would be waiting for you at the nationals."

Saki snapped her head towards her sister, only to be met with a calm visage that said absolutely nothing.

Still, she knew...

One day, their family would play together again.

"I look forward to playing with Haramura-san," Saki said, "Oneechan too, of course."

**- End of Nagano Arc -**


	3. Arrival - part 1

AN: Thanks LucyFairy, Gu3st, EXpertUS, lockonstrats, Raine-chi, magasaurus, Botmj, and the guest for their kind reviews in the last chapter. In response to your questions, this chapter will begin Saki's try-out at Shiraitodai. As this story begins before the prefecturals, Torahime still has a chance to change their roster, which will be documented in the next few story arcs that take place within the school. There will be a number of OCs making an appearance, but I hope I won't make them too obnoxious. They're just there to serve their purposes. Takami and Seiko won't appear for a few chapters but Sumire and Awai will play major roles in this chapter. On another note, I've actually never watched _Akagi_ before - is it really good? Maybe I should give it a shot!

Anyway, hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Once again, comments on your impressions or constructive criticism are welcome.

* * *

><p><strong>Of the Champion and Flowers<strong>

Chapter 3

The first morning back in Tokyo, Teru's ears were buzzing.

While Shiraitodai had its own dorms, living on-campus was extremely expensive but luckily optional. Of course, pricing was a moot point after Teru's path to victory in the Interhigh of two years past, but she didn't start off attending the school as a champion. At that time, it was already difficult for Mrs. Miyanaga to send her to the school known for its academic prowess at the cost of a hefty tuition.

Even nowadays, with her school fees waived just so she wouldn't take on Rinkai's invitation to transfer, she remained living at home to spend more time with her mother when the latter was in-country. However, on a busy workday as today, she did reconsider the decision.

The trains were packed and while everyone was trying to keep their voices to bare whispers, her ears were still buzzing as though bees were constantly hovering over them. Arrival at Shiraitodai Station saw her struggling to follow the narrow stream of people moving towards the door while most stayed to transfer to the JR Chuo Line at Musashisakai Station.

Then all the way from the station to the school, she was greeted by fellow students who asked about her health or displayed condolescences as though she had just come back from a funeral. She tried to put up her "commercial smile", as Sumire liked to put it, and quickly made her way to homeroom.

She settled down on her desk and took out a novel to read - that way, others would recognize the atmosphere and stop bothering her. Unfortunately, archery really wasn't her subject, fictional or not - she stared at the page Sumire bookmarked with a piece of clean napkin, regretting not taking a novel from her Nagano home back with her.

"You might as well be holding the book upside-down," a voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned around to see Sumire staring down at her from her excessive height. "Good morning and welcome back."

"Good morning," Teru answered, closing the book and handing it over to Sumire, "If you would like to finish it."

"Sure. I'll return it after school. You'll be at the practise right? Seeing as your little sister is trying out today..."

Teru didn't like the way this conversation was turning, so she looked away, "Just another prospective member trying out."

"I find that interesting enough," Sumire smirked, pulling out her own seat to sit down behind Teru. "Anyway, Awai says a new cake shop opened a block from the station. Let's try it some time."

She nodded to Sumire's truce offer and they stayed silent until homeroom began.

* * *

><p>Classes passed by lazily in the growing late spring heat. By noon, the classroom was baking and smelled of sweat-drenched uniform coats, so Teru didn't wait a second to make an exit.<p>

"Wait. Don't tell me you're going to the roof again," Sumire called, catching up with her.

"The breeze is comfortable."

"And the ground red-hot from an entire morning in the sun," Sumire retorted.

With that, Teru pulled out a tarp from her bag, prompting Sumire to drop her jaws, "You seriously are a strange individual."

In the end, Sumire conceded. As Teru was about to head for the stairway, Sumire told her to go on first, and by the time they met up on the roof, Awai had joined them.

"Sit," Teru gestured for an empty place on the tarp which Awai promptly filled, gleefully pressing her cheek on Teru's shoulder. Sumire sighed, sitting down on the other end, careful not to wrinkle her uniform skirt.

While Sumire certainly had more fans than friends, she usually didn't bother eating lunch with Teru, and much less taking Awai along with her. Just as Teru was about to question her motive today, Awai cut her off by grabbing an egg roll from her bento box.

"It looks a little weird but it's really delicious!" Awai commented, still sucking the residual sauce off her fingers. Teru inwardly lamented the loss of her food, but seeing Awai's contented expression, she relented.

Instead, Teru reached for the remaining egg roll and popped it into her mouth. Just as Awai had pointed out, the cross-sectional shape leaned more towards triangular than circular, the sauce a strange pale green, but it was delicious, intentionally sweet but refreshing with hints of green apple to engage her palate.

"How rare of you to bring real food. Where's your cake?" Sumire asked. When Teru refused to answer, only staring at her curious-looking bento box, Sumire continued, "Ah, your little sister made this?"

"Little sister?" Awai perked up to the comment, face mildly surprised but her grip on Teru's arm tightened. She gave Teru a questioning stare, but the Champion knew better than to return it.

It was just on a whim that she took the bento box Saki had left on their dining table this morning. _Can't have food go to waste_ - this was her mentality, but come to think of it, she should've just fed it to a cat or something.

In a display of irritation, she snapped, "Sumire, don't you have something important to talk with us about?"

Sumire seemed to have caught onto her mood and snorted, "Fine." Then, when she noticed Awai still clinging onto Teru with a big pout on her face, she pulled the blonde away and made her sit up straight before she began. "So, Chita has joined Sakano's team officially. Sakano submitted her team request form this morning."

Chita Hanami might have dropped down to thirty-fourth rank recently as she experimented with a new play style, but she had nonetheless been an asset to the temporary Team Torahime formed for the Spring Tournament, filling in for one of their graduating senpai against Shindouji's vice captain, Shirouzu. Last week she had announced that she would be joining Sakano Keina's new team alongside a middle school classmate, but at that time they were still short a member.

"They found their last member?" Teru asked.

"Thirty-sixth ranked Honda Kaede. Sakano said she had celebrity potential..." Sumire answered with a clearly bemused expression.

Then again, that was typical of the bigmouthed and eccentric Sakano.

"Who cares about that little freshman, Chita? I'm a hundred times stronger than the likes of her!" Awai blurted.

"She was a freshman in March, not now. You are a freshman," Sumire corrected. Perhaps even the likes of Sakano was nothing compared to Awai.

"So?" Teru interrupted, comtemplating the images of Sakano's team she had observed when she utilized her mirror against them in previous games. They might call her arrogant, but the Champion really didn't understand what Sumire was getting at - despite the above-average strength of Sakano's team, they did not seem to pose much of a threat to Torahime's reign over the school tournament that was due to take place in a few weeks, just before the West Tokyo Prefecturals.

The size of Shiraitodai's mahjong club had exploded following their two years' dominance at the Interhigh. Now, different teams within their school had to compete with each other to determine a representative, with the level of play en par, if not above the Prefecturals. Even their second-ranked team was hailed to be of prefectural representatives' strength.

"That Sakana can have Hanabi for all that I care! Our team is stronger with me instead!"

Sumire decided not to correct Awai's mistakes on other people's names, intentional or not. "I think the theme of Sakano's team is interesting and we can expect them to put up a good game against us, but Awai's offensive strength should be enough to replace what we've lost from Chita. What is worrying is that both Toujou-san and Akashi-san have also formed their own team."

Toujou Rin and Akashi Koto were the other two members who had filled in for the graduates during the Spring Tournament, providing the defensive framework for their team. While Sumire had long discussed with Teru about shifting Torahime's focus towards offense, the sudden defensive vacancies were quite troublesome.

"That Akashi can't win anything above a mangan to save her life!" Awai declared while chewing on a mouthful of octopus sausages. Sumire sighed.

"And you ever made her pay above 8000 points in a single hand? It is difficult accomplishing a tsumo with her on the table, let alone winning off one of her discards."

"That's because she's a scaredy-cat and won't ever riichi!" Awai complained. While Teru agreed that Akashi was often over-cautious, she made a mental note to remind Awai not to throw out her riichi sticks quite so casually.

"Toujou-san is close to our idealistic player though, in terms of her natural balance of offensive and defensive abilities." Teru noted flatly while staring at Sumire. Awai pouted.

"I also have an absolute safety zone! Even Toujou can't make her opponents start every hand at 5- or 6-shanten!"

"Yes, yes, and you can play two positions for us, huh? If that's the case, might as well have Teru play Vanguard and Sergeant, then we won't even have to make an appearance at all." Sumire almost rolled her eyes at Awai before turning to Teru's comment, "Anyway, if your accusing gaze is for blaming me for not convincing Toujou-san to stay, I've tried, but she was firm about leaving, and it's for a reason I cannot deny."

"What reason?"

"She wants to play on the same team as her younger sister, Toujou Yousa." Sumire noted the way Teru's face darkened and took the opportunity to pierce her with her gaze, "So? Does our team leader want to personally try again and convince Toujou-san now?"

"We can manage," Teru replied without even looking at Sumire - the latter just scoffed off the comment. Awai was strangely silent, following Teru's gaze at the skies overhead.

"So that's the situation." Seeing as both of them didn't seem particularly interested in pursuing the subject, Sumire decided to leave it there for now. "To recruit two new members, I'm planning on hosting a training session next weekend here on campus. Most of us live at the dorms, so they should be able to attend. I'll make arrangements for you, so mark down those dates."

Teru's half-glare was enough to tell Sumire that she clearly didn't appreciate having to come here on a weekend. As though Sumire could read her mind, she continued, "Chita said she'd be willing to help us cook even though she has already parted with our team. Is that enough reason for you to come?"

Admittedly, Chita's cooking was far better than her mahjong skills, despite that her abilities on the table weren't half-bad, actually...

Teru sighed. At least she would be away from home for three nights. That was an even better reason to accept Sumire's proposal.

* * *

><p>When the bell rang to signal the end of class, Teru rose from her seat and made her way towards the door without turning back.<p>

From Sumire's placid countenance as she collected her books, no one would guess what was going through her mind at the moment - aside from, maybe, the person who had just exited the classroom. Teru must have predicted that she would go after her should she have stayed another moment.

But if Teru was so certain that running away was the solution, Sumire wouldn't stop her. She never did.

This came as a relief to Teru as she arrived at the school gates without Sumire in sight; she certainly was not in the mood to explain anything. In her place, though, was a familiar wave of blonde hair thrashing in the air upon the girl's sprinting steps. Oohoshi Awai finally caught up with her, running right into her chest.

It took a lot of experience for Teru to brace herself to the impact and maintain her footing. She thanked the heavens Awai was rather light even in comparison to those of her height.

"Teruuuuuuu! I saw you running out from my class window and I nearly jumped out trying to follow youuuuuu! You skipping practice again?"

"I want to try the new cake shop you found."

This wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the complete truth, which Teru could neither divulge to Awai nor even admit to herself.

"Oooooooooooh! Yes! They say they make the best cheesecake but I like their strawberry shortcake more. It's so much like you to skip practice for cake, eh? I'll skip too since Teru is the only one who can really play with me in that miserable little club anyways!"

"Un," Teru gave a noncommittal response. If Sumire were here, she would definitely remark on the way Teru was pampering Awai. But it was true most of their club was not worth Awai's time considering she rarely found the need to double-riichi with just her safety zone activated. Still, there were those whose rank might be lower but could place pressure on her by bypassing or even negating her style of play. Teru reminded herself to encourage Awai to join one of those tables next time, but today, she was willing to let it go.

Awai clung onto her arm as they made their way towards the station. "Let's go flower-watching sometime!" Awai said upon spotting a cherry tree around the corner. The pale pink blossoms were late this year, but even so, only few were left dotting patches of the branches still bare of leaves - most had already settled upon the browning blanket on the cement pavement. Despite all this, Teru shared Awai's sentiment. What could not be was always what one most desired.

Teru reached out for a drifting blossom and caught it in her hands, then turning towards Awai, she slipped it into her hair where it was tucked behind her ear.

Awai's eyes widened in surprise. Though those eyes were a different colour from "hers", they reminded Teru of the water "she" so loved - interweaving currents of blue and green carrying the fallen flowers downstream. Awai's hair was the same gold as the scales of fishes underwater, glittering brightly in the sun.

Teru's fingers reached absentmindedly towards a strand of Awai's thin, almost translucent locks, and stroked down its length to her shoulder.

"Whawhawhaaaaaaaa...!" Awai made a weird noise that awoke Teru from her reverie. She jerked her fingers back, lips settling down to its usual half-frown.

"This way, we can be flower-watching even today," she answered, drawing a pout from Awai's blushing face. The younger girl reached up on tippy toes and snapped a thin branch from the tree, jabbing it behind Teru's ear.

"Humph. Teru is an idiot!"

Before Teru could scold her for ripping a branch off the tree, Awai ran off into the distance, looking back only to confirm that Teru was no longer in sight. But it was at this very moment that she collided with something, or rather, somebody ahead, sending both of them sprawling onto the sidewalk.

"Oowie!" Awai muttered, rubbing her sore bottom after having gotten up. She was about to offer a hand to the still sitting stranger she hit when she paused.

The resemblance was obvious. Maybe the chestnut hair was a shade darker than Teru's wine red, but the stubborn tuft was the same. Those crimson eyes staring up at her were also the same hue.

"You're Teru's sister?" Awai's voice sounded in a lower, clearer pitch than usual.

Saki blinked. For this person, who was dressed in the Shiraitodai uniform, to correctly deduce her relationship with the Interhigh champion, she must not be just some random stranger, but a presence close to that of her sister's.

But that was not what caught Saki speechless...

This person's voice...this person's appearance...they were so strikingly similar to a certain person of Teru and her shared past that Saki ended up just staring stupidly upwards at the person's face.

Looking around, Awai noticed that Teru still had not caught up with her, which could only be an indication that she had already left. This was not how Teru usually was.

Compared to Sumire's strict "guardianship", Teru was certainly the more relaxed senpai, but whenever she ran away in a childish fit, Teru would always come after her.

So Teru was hiding. So she was right, this girl she ran into must be the sister Sumire-senpai brought up today at lunch!

"So how long are you going to stare at me for, Mi-ya-na-gaaaa!?" she snapped Saki out of her running thoughts.

"I...I'm...really sorry."

"Well, I'm leaving," she announced with crossed arms, walking down the hill like nothing happened despite the raging emotions within her. Awai didn't really get it. She was just...angry. Angry at this stranger? Angry at Teru? Angry at what?

And the fact that her footsteps were echoed by those behind her didn't help clear her flaring mind either.

"Why are you following me!?" Awai turned swiftly around, finger pointing straight at the spot between Saki's crimson eyes. Saki nearly tripped onto the ground trying to stop herself in-time not to have Awai's finger jab into her cornea.

"So...sorry!"

"No, not that!" Awai rebuked. Yup, if she couldn't figure it out, then let's just direct all her anger at this idiot instead! "Aren't you supposed to have a try-out today?"

"Umm...yes..."

"Then why are you walking in the opposite direction from campus?"

The younger Miyanaga remained silent, face flushed with embarrassment.

Of course. She was Teru's sister. If a poor sense of direction was hereditary, then that would probably mean the girl was...

"You're lost..." Awai commented flatly, eyes narrowing to a chiding stare.

"Sorry..."

"Humph!" Awai puffed out a ball of carbon dioxide, turned on her soles, and started walking uphill back to school. Confused for a moment, Saki stayed on her spot.

"So are you coming or not?" Awai snapped again.

"Ye...yes!"

Satisfied with the sound of steps following her once more, Awai continued walking swiftly for Shiraitodai. Why was she helping this girl anyway? Right, because she knew...

She might appear to be stupid, but she was actually sharper than she looked, especially where Teru was concerned.

She knew Teru skipped practice not because she was running away from her sister. It was quite the contrary, really...she was worried.

So as the person Teru had implicitly entrusted to escort her sister back to Sumire, Awai had to do it.

"...but I still don't like the way Teru and you look at me..." Awai muttered.

"Sorry?"

Damn! How did that girl whose head seemed to be stuck somewhere in the clouds catch what she just said!?

"You didn't hear anything! Now get going, Miyanaga Something-something!"

Awai wouldn't let her know how Saki's previous absentminded stare was exactly the same as Teru's, or how she ran away not because of Teru's cheesy flower-watching line, but that very stare...

...the stare that made her realize Teru saw something in her that wasn't herself.

"Umm..." the girl behind her interrupted, "It's Saki. Miyanaga Saki."

Awai stopped. Her face, previously in stern contemplation, broke into a smile.

_It doesn't matter, so long as Teru is watching me._

The tinges of hurt that felt like a paper cut was quickly overwhelmed by feelings of confidence. Oohoshi Awai might not have many strengths, but one of them was definitely determination. If she became stronger, one day Teru would recognize her for who she was.

She turned around, her small but strong figure basked in the light of sunset, "And I'm Oohoshi Awai! Remember the name of the person who would defeat you!"

Saki didn't know what to say, but upon a moment of thought, she smiled too, "Un!"

So this was Oohoshi Awai, the underclassman her sister was talking on the phone with back in Nagano.

Oohoshi looked and sounded like "her", but the radiance that shone from her was without any hidden sadness or pain.

She was full of life.

Saki admitted she had been jealous when her sister promised to play with Oohoshi once she returned to Tokyo, but now, this bit of jealousy eased. Her sister might not have even noticed it herself, but the gravity that drew Teru to Oohoshi was probably not her resemblance to that person, but her happiness.

Saki held her fists together, running to catch up to Awai. She would not falter! If Oohoshi could make her sister happy, she could too.

She, too, would become stronger, like the flowers that bloomed on the mountain peak.

* * *

><p>Sumire stared at her watch.<p>

Miyanaga Saki certainly exceeded her sister in one thing, she mused - that was, the ability to get lost.

Half an hour after school, Sumire was still waiting for her arrival. At least their coach wasn't there, usually entrusting such small matters to the club president. Still, if the younger Miyanaga didn't arrive soon, they wouldn't have time for the east and south rounds she intended for her to play.

Finally, the sound of the door broke through the rhythmic clatter of mahjong tiles, followed by loud steps characteristic of Awai. Behind her was a familiar face, one similar to Teru's but with rounder eyes and fuller cheeks. Compared to the first time Sumire had seen the girl, she was now a little taller, wearing the uniform of her old school, Nagano's Kiyosumi - Sumire recognized it as the same uniform Haramura Nodoka was wearing in her most recent interview for the _Weekly Mahjong Today_.

"I'm very sorry I'm late..." the newcomer bowed down, eyes wet with apology. Awai ignored her and walked up to Sumire with a big smirk on her face.

"So she's the new prospective, eh? Mi-ya-na-ga Sakiiiii!"

Sumire knocked on Awai's head, making a sharp sound that was quickly drowned out by Awai's cries, "Say people's names correctly." She then turned towards Saki, offering a hand, "Hirose Sumire, if you remember. We've met previously, haven't we?"

"Un. Two years ago...Hirose-senpai."

"Eeeeeeeeeeeh!? How? Why?" Awai once again made a scene. Sumire proceeded to knock her head once more.

"If you want to ask a question, ask politely. No one is obligated to answer you. Also, if you have time to be lingering around, you should be practising. Understood?"

"But shouldn't I be playing against Mi-ya-na-ga!? I'll make sure she burns my face into her worse nightmares..."

Sumire decided that Teru was right after all. Sometimes, you just had to ignore Awai's symptoms of the Middle-school 2nd Year Syndrome...

"Anyway, Miyanaga, we're running short on time, so if you don't mind, let's start the try-out now."

"What? What about me? Suuuu-miiiii-reee-seeee-n-paiiiii..." Awai whined even as Sumire led Saki to a corner of the room. There was a table with three members already seated, which Sumire gestured Saki to sit at.

"So, Miyanaga, are you familiar with the Interhigh rules for individual matches?"

Saki nodded, "I've played by the Interhigh rules with my old school's mahjong club."

"Good. Those will be the rules we play by today. Each person starts with 25000 points, but for now, let's just play till the end of the east round. How does that sound?"

Saki nodded again, "Understood."

"Then let me introduce your opponents. Sitting in south is our forty-third ranked player, first year, Naitou Akane. Across from her, in north, is our thirty-sixth ranked player, also first year, Honda Kaede."

Despite Sumire's attempt of drawing some similarities between Naitou and Honda, it was in vain. Naitou was plain-looking, with dark violet hair held in a bun and watery brown eyes looking like she had already lost before the game began. On the other hand, Honda appeared just as her given name suggested, her hair a flaming orange and eyes a bright crimson like autumn maples. Though she had sharp looks, her countenance was held still, bearing a neutrality that wasn't quite cold either.

"Finally, sitting in east is our thirty-fourth ranked player, second year, Chita Hanami. She was our vice captain during the Spring Tournament."

Chita smiled gently. The aura she gave off could be summarized by the pastel colours of her hair and eyes, soft lavender locks cascading straight down her shoulders, bangs cropped in a clean line above her brows. Her eyes were a deep and calming blue.

"Nice to meet you, Naitou-san, Honda-san, Chita-san. I'm Miyanaga Saki, pleased to be playing with you today."

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaait!" Awai shouted, slamming her hand onto the mahjong table, "Why did you pick such a booooooooring combination to play with Mi-ya-na-gaaaaa!? You can't test if she is a monster by having her play with that Hanabi!"

Even though Chita just laughed it off, Sumire still couldn't keep her hands from Awai's cheeks, pulling them apart as punishment, "Like...I...said...say people's names correctly, especially when they are your senior. And these three are not boring. Their play styles are merely suitable for an examination because they would not overshadow Miyanaga's style, allowing us to evaluate her abilities more thoroughly. Got it? Now go apologize to your Chita-senpai!"

When Sumire finally let go, Awai hurriedly slapped her hands protectively to her cheeks and started rubbing at the sore redness. "Sowie..." she muttered, still clearly unimpressed by Sumire's decision but nevertheless couldn't override it. Sumire nodded.

"Anyway, sorry for causing the trouble. If you are all ready, Chita, would you like to begin?"

Chita nodded and pressed the button to roll the dice. As she did so, Saki analyzed the atmosphere by which she flipped the first dora indicator and each player's subsequent tile draw. It was a steady kind of flow not unlike what she sensed from Haramura Nodoka during their first game, strong but not dominating. She nearly sighed in relief as she flipped over her tiles and started arranging them by suit. Three of the west wind and two other pairs - it was short ways from a toi toi with yakuhai at worst, and could turn into a sanankou and sankantsu with a bit of luck. Recalling what her former buchou, Hisa, had taught her, Saki mentally adjusted her starting score to zero. By giving herself a handicap of 25000 points, she could aim for plus or minus zero by earning anywhere between 29600 to 30500 points, given that someone else also earned above 4600 to 5500 points to come up on top. In reality, that would place her at 54600 to 55500 points, which should be an impressive score for a try-out, right?

Three turns in, Chita was already at tenpai for a hand that would have no yaku unless she drew a menzen-tsumo or declared riichi. She had a pair, two closed triplets, a sequence of 3, 4, 5-wan, a 7-pin and 9-pin with a single wait on 8-pin. On her next draw, a 3-wan appeared in her hand.

She took a look at Honda who was still discarding honours. Naitou, on the other hand, literally sighed in the last turn when she drew the same tile as Chita's discard, which she had promptly followed. She was currently shaking in her seat as usual.

The one who Chita couldn't discern was the prospect across from her. So, this Miyanaga Saki was their ace's younger sister, huh? There certainly were similarities in the aura they gave off, but the younger Miyanaga's was more subtle, as though hidden behind the face of a tall mountain. Chita decided to push her luck a little further.

She took the 9-pin and discarded it. Her next draw saw a 7-pin. Now she had two closed triplets and three pairs. She discarded the 5-wan.

She was now at iishanten for toi toi. If she managed a self-draw to complete the next triplet to bring her to tenpai, she'd add sanankou to the yaku list. Given her luck, if she could hold long enough, she was sure to either make successive kan to further the value of her hand, or complete the fourth triplet on her own - the yakuman hand of suuankou.

That was Chita's ability - to ready her hand early and further its value with successive draws.

"Kan!" Saki's voice interrupted Chita's thoughts. The girl's new-drawn tile was flipped over to reveal a west wind. Along with another open west wind tile and two facing down in the middle, the closed quad was lined on the side of the table.

When she made a draw from the dead wall, Chita could've sworn there was a spark of electricity between Saki's fingers and the tile surface. Saki placed the tile in her hand and made a discard.

So, it wasn't a rinshan kaihou yet, but what was this feeling? When it came Chita's turn again, she drew in a 4-wan.

Two triplets and four pairs now.

She could discard it and continue waiting on the three pairs, but something told her she would lose. The opponent across from her was most likely at tenpai, for a big hand too.

Honda was still playing defensively, but she knew the orange-haired girl would soon switch to offense. Naitou would then choose to play into the smallest hand when she ran out of safe tiles.

Then, let her go with the flow.

Chita broke up her north wind triplet and discarded one of the tiles. Five pairs, one triplet now. Naitou drew and made a terminal discard, 1-sou, which Honda pon'ed, skipping Miyanaga's turn. She discarded the last of north wind following Chita's previous discard.

It was Chita's turn again. She drew in a tile that had yet to appear on the table, haku.

She broke up the last triplet and discarded a 4-sou. What a hell wait - a haku for chiitoitsu. There were high chances that somebody was already holding a closed triplet of the honour tiles, but Chita bet on the slim hopes that nobody did.

Against a monster player, you must defy expectations - if she learned anything from playing on the same team as the Champion during the Spring Tournament, that was it.

"Chii," Naitou took the tile. 4, 5, 6-sou, 5 being a red dora. But Saki didn't think Naitou was opening up her hand to further it quickly, or ensure that the red dora was in her final hand, it was because...

...she sensed something from the tile Saki should be drawing.

Saki held her knees together, eyes looking down her tenpai hand with apprehension. These opponents weren't scary in the same way as Oneechan, but they turned out more scary than she had expected!

Naitou discarded a safe tile. Saki drew and discarded as well. Honda paused at her draw and looked towards Saki. It was a useless tile for her, but she swallowed, placing it into her hand. She'd have to make use of it, but first, she must make sure she didn't play into Miyanaga's hand!

Honda made a discard of south wind, another safe tile of which two were already on the table. Saki bit her lip - if only she could've switched the drawing order...

Chita reached for the wall and stroked her thumb across the bottom surface of the tile. Perfectly smooth.

"Tsumo, chiitoitsu. 1600 all."

Dealer hand for 2-han 25-fu chiitoitsu, plus 1-han for menzen-tsumo! It was nowhere near the large hand Chita had intended, but she had done it - won the first hand to lead them into her renchan.

"Ye...yes!" Saki stuttered, digging out her point sticks to give them to Chita along with the others. So this...this was the level of the nationals? Of course, the game would still continue, but if Saki really had a handicap of 25000 points, wouldn't she have dropped out with a negative score!?

Saki held her lips tightly together while shoving the tiles into the opened slot for shuffling. She then kept her hands gripped when Chita pressed the button to bring up a new set and roll the dice to determine where on the walls to start taking their starting hand. Nothing. She felt absolutely nothing out of the ordinary while each player assembled their tiles. Naitou looked absolutely terrified. Honda didn't feel mechanical, but her play style definitely had a certain consistency to it that made her appear extremely calm at the start of each game. Even Chita had minimal presence - her aura only grew with the duration of the game itself, and when it finally reared its monstrous head, it was already too late.

Saki felt blinded. Her starting hand was decent - a triplet of south wind and a pair of 1-pin, the dora, stood out from the rest. The dead wall resonated with her. She knew once she obtained the last south wind and made a kan, another of the 1-pin would fall into her hands, completing the triplet. But somehow, she felt that the south wind tile would never come to her. The unknown force that was her opponents would stop her before then.

The game began with Chita's discard. Sumire put her fingers to her lips, pondering the outcome of the previous game. She had expected the same kind of dominance from Saki as her friend Teru, but that was not the case. Looking at the way she was playing in this renchan, it didn't seem as though the younger Miyanaga had the same East 1 strategy as the elder either. Was she really weaker than Chita? Then again, both Naitou and Honda essentially fostered Chita's hand in the previous game, but if it were Teru, even the luck and skill of these three combined wouldn't hinder her play. Sumire then turned to Awai, who had fallen silent. No. There was probably more to Miyanaga Saki than what met her eyes now.

Chita's starting hand was four tiles away from a win. With the first turn, she made a chii of Honda's 1-wan and discarded a 7-sou. On the second turn, she discarded a 9-sou, making Honda weary that she might be aiming for a hon'itsu or chin'itsu hand of wanzu. In the third turn, Honda decided to first discard the remaining terminal wanzu she held, 9-wan, and Chita quickly made a chii of that too. She was now at iishanten, but unlike what Honda was thinking, it currently didn't have any yaku once again.

These first three turns were fruitful for Saki as well. She still didn't receive the last south wind, but her hand was slowly turning into a hon'itsu of pinzu. Now that she drew an east wind, she pondered whether to keep it, but upon looking at Chita, she wavered.

There was something Saki wanted to confirm.

She discarded the east wind.


End file.
